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Cell rheology

Mush rather than machine

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The cytoplasm of living cells responds to deformation in much the same way as a water-filled sponge does. This behaviour, although intuitive, is connected to long-standing and unsolved fundamental questions in cell mechanics.

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Figure 1: The cytoskeleton behaves as a poroelastic material.
Figure 2: The rheological properties of the cytoplasm of eukaryote cells compare to those of non-living soft matter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Enhua H. Zhou & Jeffrey J. Fredberg

  2. University of Arizona, Tucson, 85724, Arizona, USA

    Fernando D. Martinez

Authors
  1. Enhua H. Zhou
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  2. Fernando D. Martinez
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  3. Jeffrey J. Fredberg
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Correspondence to Jeffrey J. Fredberg.

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Zhou, E., Martinez, F. & Fredberg, J. Mush rather than machine. Nature Mater 12, 184–185 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3574

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